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Updated: Aug 27, 2025
High Yield Expression of Recombinant Human Proteins with the Transient Transfection of HEK293 Cells in Suspension
Published on: December 28, 2015
Poly(Beta-Amino Ester)s as High-Yield Transfection Reagents for Recombinant Protein Production
Kathryn M Luly1,2, Huilin Yang2,3, Stephen J Lee2,3
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Purpose:
Transient transfection is an essential tool for recombinant protein production, as it allows rapid screening for expression without stable integration of genetic material into a target cell genome. Poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) is the current gold standard for transient gene transfer, but transfection efficiency and the resulting protein yield are limited by the polymer's toxicity. This study investigated the use of a class of cationic polymers, poly(beta-amino ester)s (PBAEs), as reagents for transient transfection in comparison to linear 25 kDa PEI, a commonly used transfection reagent.
Methods:
Transfection efficiency and protein production were assessed in human embryonic kidney 293F (HEK) and Chinese hamster ovary-S (CHO) cell suspensions using PBAE-based nanoparticles in comparison to linear 25 kDa PEI. Production of both a cytosolic reporter and secreted antibodies was investigated.
Results:
In both HEK and CHO cells, several PBAEs demonstrated superior transfection efficiency and enhanced production of a cytosolic reporter compared to linear 25 kDa PEI. This result extended to secreted proteins, as a model PBAE increased the production of 3 different secreted antibodies compared to linear 25 kDa PEI at culture scales ranging from 20 to 2000 mL. In particular, non-viral gene transfer using the lead PBAE/plasmid DNA nanoparticle formulation led to robust transfection of mammalian cells across different constructs, doses, volumes, and cell types.
Conclusion:
These results show that PBAEs enhance transfection efficiency and increase protein yield compared to a widespread commercially available reagent, making them attractive candidates as reagents for use in recombinant protein production.
